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Daily Wire Tip Feb. 9: Flush Cutting Jump Rings

By on February 8, 2011
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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
February 9, 2011

Question:

What flush cutter would you recommend to use in making jump rings? Every one that I use has left the cuts pinched, not cut flat like the jump rings you buy premade. I see several kinds of cutters in the tools section, which one would be better for this type of use?

-Diane in Moore Haven, Florida

Answer:

Diane, when I teach I always remind my students that no matter how much you spend on "flush" cutters, they will never cut "flush" because you cannot cut molecules; rather, you separate them.

The best way to cut jump rings as flush as possible is to use a jeweler’s saw (you will lose a bit of the size, as the blade will eat some of the metal).

If you are making just a few jump rings for use here and there, just remember to "double cut" them; meaning, cut both ends so they are flat or flush. My favorite wire cutters are the Xuron cutters. (It is so nice that Wire-Sculpture now carries my favorite tools!)

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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9 Comments

  1. avatar

    Lila

    February 9, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    Diane,
    If you don’t want to invest the time into making jump rings with a saw, Lindstrom makes a super flush cutter that really works well- Lindstrom 8152 Super-Flush Cutter. I use these all of the time and I have no ends to clean up. They are really super flush. They are a bit pricey but to me it’s worth it because is saves a lot of time.

  2. avatar

    John

    February 9, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    Hi. For just cutting a few jump ring I use Separating Disc on my Flexshaft. They are super thin and cut cleanly. For large quantities of jump rings I use the Jump Ringer System, it’s not cheap but if your doing quantities it is a great time saver. Good Luck. John

  3. avatar

    Karen

    February 9, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    I found this an interesting question and wanted to share some of the things I have found out by trial and error. Like you Dale I prefer the Xuron Cutters. I am due to buy a new pair soon as even they dull a bit over time. Regarding Jump rings however, I was listening to Margot Potter a few weeks ago and she commented that one way to get jump rings to cut “flush” is to use the cutters that are made for the memory wire. I find this suggestion works like a charm, provided your jump rings are large enough to accomplish this. 4mm for instance is impossible but 5 and 6mm work great. For the smaller jump rings I find that although tedious if you cut just One ring at a time turning the cutters over EACH new ring that this accomplishes a more flush cut and the result is each ring is more like a “locking” ring. One advantage of fresh Xuron Cutters is they do not squash the wire so much when you use them.

    • avatar

      dalecgr

      February 9, 2011 at 11:43 pm

      Excellent tip (using memory wire cutters) – thanks so much for sharing this with all of us Karen!

  4. avatar

    Karen

    February 20, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    I have only just discovered that Xuron makes a tool called a double flush cut sheers wire cutter. It cuts straight on both sides of the wire much in the same fashion that the memory wire cutters do however the nose is thin so this will cut most any size jump ring where the memory sheers won’t go into the smaller jump rings. I ordered a pair and they have not arrived yet so hopefully they work as well as I assume they will. I am excited about this. I want to TRY to make some chain mail type items and this will make the job much easier I think.

    • avatar

      dalecgr

      February 20, 2011 at 3:55 pm

      Cool Karen! Would you please share your results after you have played with them for a while? Thanks!

  5. avatar

    Karen

    March 5, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    Well I have used the cutters to date to create the smallest jump rings that by jump ring maker will make. The nose of the cutters is not as “narrow” as I would like but it worked in the small jump rings. I was using 18g argentium wire. I am not as pleased as I hoped to be in that I had to get used to how to hold the cutters so that they would not “smoosh over to the side” without cutting the wire, which they will do if you hold them at a tilted angle, like is normal with angled flush cutters. Once I got use to that particular problem they work very well, the resulting jump rings are perfect and their joint is complete like a locking ring. I am not sorry I got them, but I had hoped they would have a bit longer snout they they do. I was able to cut 10ft of 18gu wire done in jump rings in just about 10 minutes and while my hand was tired when I was done I have a much higher ratio of usable jump rings to Non usable ones then I have done with the other type of cutters and none of them has to be adjusted to make them join completely.

  6. Pingback: True Flush Cutters | Jewelry Making Blog | Information | Education | Videos

  7. avatar

    Lisa Giraud

    July 6, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    I just purchased the xuron double flush cutter and cannot get a flush cut for the life of me. Does anyone know the secret to using them to make rings